October 29, 2008

Still Alive After All These Horrific Years
By Louis Bedigian

We take a look at survival/horror’s two most enduring franchises.

Alone in the Dark may be credited with the beginning of survival/horror (a term that didn’t exist when Alone in the Dark was conceived), but it wasn’t until Resident Evil arrived that these games became a part of their own genre. Resident Evil’s weird and unappealing controls – some have compared the character movement to a tank – were somehow appropriate within its dark and eerie, pre-rendered setting. Capcom gained our attention with what at the time was considered to be state-of-the-art graphics and instantly consumed us – more than five million of us worldwide – by getting players to pick up a controller.

Scared, shaken and a little on edge, these feelings of horror were new to gamers, even those who had spent many years watching the very zombie flicks that inspired Resident Evil’s creation. We were awestruck. We were intrigued. And in spite of our concern for what may be around the corner, we would proceed to walk down every hall and explore every dark passage – even if we had to do it with only a single herb and knife in hand.

Resident Evil (GameCube Remake)

By the time the journey was over, there was a sense of relief. The hidden horrors had finally been uncovered. At the same time, there was this overwhelming urge to return. It wasn’t just because the gameplay was entertaining – any good game can deliver a bit of replay value. Resident Evil made us want to return because, in addition to the fun of blasting zombies with a shotgun, we wanted to re-experience the horror.

After playing through Capcom’s first survival/horror entry, it seemed that the scare-factor delivered by games may have been lost. Similar to the way viewers became desensitized to horror flicks, survival/horror games can only shock, surprise and terrorize us once.

But what we didn’t know was that, beyond Resident Evil’s first sequel – which would be much loved, achieve huge sales, and provide many memorable thrills – was a game that would prove to be the scariest ever made. The only game that has ever caused this writer to stop playing and take a break: Silent Hill.

Designed to create a new dimension of survival/horror, Silent Hill wasn’t a Resident Evil clone. Its real-time backdrops, eerie puzzles and grotesque monsters were very cool and creepy, but they were not what made the game scary. Silent Hill terrified players by introducing them to the unknown – a different kind of unknown where it’s not the worry of what’s around the corner or what pops out at you that’s scary. This game horrifies players with the static sound of a radio that assures them danger is nearby. As the monster approaches – or as you approach the monster – the sound intensifies. Surrounded by darkness, your only hope is to shed the light on these hidden creatures with a flashlight whose realistic beam created one of the most gorgeous graphical effects created for PSone.

The original Silent Hill

Twelve years after Resident Evil and nine years after Silent Hill, these are the two series gamers think of when horror comes to mind. There are other good scares out there, and many games with eerie moments, but among the existing franchises, Resident Evil and Silent Hill are the leaders. As we anticipate these series’ next chapters, let’s look back on what they’ve accomplished thus far.

   
A Look at the Resident Evil Series         A Look at the Silent Hill Series

Be sure to check out our first Halloween Feature:  Horror through the Years: A Look at Some Pivotal Titles in the Horror Genre - From Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Dead Space, the Horror Genre has seen some change for the better over the decades.

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